Today, most telephones include a function that allows a user to place a telephone call on hold and maintain the connection with a party at the other end of the call. The user, therefore, may receive another call or perform other tasks without disconnecting the call that was placed on hold. The remote party, however, typically does not know how long the call will remain on hold and must wait on the line until the user returns. This may be frustrating for the remote party since it is not uncommon for the user to put the call on hold for several minutes. The remote party may not want to risk placing or receiving another call on a second line if there is a possibility that the user will release the on-hold call.